the day - the vikings have once again raided scotland. men dressed as historic figures participate in a hug, signalling the start of the scottish new year's celebration. i'm david shuster, "america tonight". >> on "america tonight" - losing track of airliners. as the wreckage of airasia comes to surface - we ask why has a safety recommendation been delayed for years. could a simple piece of technology have saved lives. also - shot and killed by police - now months later the l.a.p.d. releases the autopsy. >> the coroner's autopsy identified that the death was caused by a gunshot wound to the flight flank and a contact wound to the back. >> searching for the truth. and the growing divide between

police and community fleeing troubled waters. "america tonight" discovers inequality in the rebuilding after superstorm sandy. >> do you look at the demolition and think of some of the memories you have raising your ? >> of course. playing in the background for christmas, birthday parties working class dreams demolished while the wealthy move back into the path of danger thanks to your tax dollars. good evening, everyone, thanks for joining us. i'm adam may sitting in for joie chen. recovery begins in the crash of airasia. debris and bodies found in the

java sea, off the coast of indonesia. 162 were on board. the disappearance of the plane and the amount of time it took to find the wreckage exposes a major weakness in air travel. why isn't a system for tracking commercial mandatory. "america tonight"s sheila macvicar reports that lessons learnt in past air tragedies are still being ignored. >> wreckage from airasia flight 8501 was located tuesday - suitcase, life jackets, inflatable slides and most horrifying to those watching a live tv feed, bodies. it took nearly three days, dozens of military and civilian aircraft and ships, and over 1,000 search and rescue personnel from nine countries to identify the site of the crash. the delay and the expense required to find the missing plane took 10 months, after the

disappearance of mh370 is raising the question why isn't the airline industry implemented a worldwide system to track all commercial airlines of all time. >> jim hull is a former head of the n.t.s.b. >> a diployable recorder which floats is in use by the military, search and rescue, aircraft at work, oil rigs in the gulf and north sea all are equipped. it's available technology that has been around for decades. the airline industry, unfortunately, and the government regulators have not required it. >> in 2009, air france flight 447 disappeared over the atlantic ocean during a night from rio de janeiro to paris. it took five days to recover the bodies, and two years to find the black boxes.

just a month later, flight 26, with 153 on board crashed through the kamoros islands. the sole survivor recounted to investigators hearing the voices of other survivors who died before rescuers located the wreckage. it took two months to locate the black botches. in a report, francis, the french verse of the n.t.s.b., recommended that all airlines be fitted with systems that could transmit data as soon as an emergency situation is detected, and the activation of an emergency locator beacon. >> i spent several decades in safety, and if you wonder why something isn't done, it's because it costs money. >> reporter: in 2014 after mh17 disappeared, an interim report recommended that the

international body that regulates air travel examine the safety benefits of introducing a standard for real-time tracking of commercial transport for aircraft. they reached out, which would not say whether it would support a system tracking airliners. only that it worked with industry and partners on policyl that: . >> what is preventing it unfortunately is a political will. hopefully after air france, the missing malaysian airliner, and now this, with these three incidents, the tragedy of life in each one of these, surely this will motivate the civil aviation organization to put regulations in place so we don't see more recurrences like this.

>> cost, a slow-moving international bureaucracy and an industry reluctant to pay for and deal with the data that results. >> frustration with the aircraft system - it's part of the nightmare and frustration for relatives and passengers. sara nose that all too well. her life-time partner philip wood was aboard malaysia airlines flight 370 which went missing last march. she is joining us from the malaysian capital kuala lumpur. thank you for taking time to speak to us. when you see the families going through days of suffering and wondering, you must sit and say how is this happening again? >> that is the second question i asked myself.

the first is hundreds of people with heart ache that doesn't have to be there. >> your partner has been missing for more than nine months. you sit and look at what happened with the aviation industry. what do you think needs to be done. what could have saved his life. >> there are things on record, requested changes in air france. there had been discussions, better quality redonedanceies, communication systems, longer battery life on the black boxes, stronger signals, better equipment related to the elts, the water sensing devices that are supposed to go off and act as beingons, and the case of a water crash. and, you know, these are things that have been sitting on the table for years and years, and the industry - they had refused to accept them. >> what are your thoughts for

the family right now, the airasia families going through this? >> there's well not much to say. i mean, you can't take away the crisis of losing a loved one, especially under spoking circumstances. but even though we can't choose what happens to us, we can choose how we react, and i hope that those families, will, first of all, stay strong. make sure they are around people that they trust, and don't allow themselves to be taken advantage of, and i hope that they'll become part of the campaign to change. i think the world needs to send all their prayers, and good wishes those families, and to please not forget the mh370 answers. >> i certainly hope you get the answers soon. long. >> thank you for your time. >> you're welcome.

>> so should this house behind us be built. >> no. >> it is definitely a threat to the people rebuilding. and a waste of taxpayers' money. >> controversy surrounds the rebuilding of the jersey shore after superstorm sandy. tens of millions of tax dollars used. and the controversial killing of a mentally ill black man. the autopsies released, and the l.a.p.d. searches for the truth. >> from stage to screen oscar nominated actor ethan hawk >> the theatre has always bee my first love... >> separating art & politics >> if you have an agenda with people... you sometimes don't see the truth >> and the lifelong influence of his mother >> she was worried i was gonna be a spoiled brat and not see how complicated the world was >> every monday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time...

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welcome back, billions of new jersey tax dollars, and federal tax money could be washed out to sea. that's the warning from environmental groups, outraged over the rebuilding of the jersey shore. it's been two years since hurricane sandy, one of the most expensive natural disasters in u.s. history, and there was a programme supposed to get people out of harm's way. instead, we discovered it is only impacting the working class. the rich, it turns out are not using it. that's because they are getting special help. >> reporter: this has been this woman's home their entire life. now she and her daughter have come to say goodbye. this is the second time she and her family left their home. the first time they were fleeing hurricane sandy.

>> i woke my husband up. the water was here. we had to jump in the water. the house was covered. tired of flooding which blights the neighbourhood, they died decided to get out for good. house? >> of course, playing in the parties. >> she and her family are taking advantage of a state programme called blue acres. ramped up in the aftermath of hurricane sandy. blue acres is meant to buy homes no flood prone areas and return the land to mother nature. road. >> right up the road. >> this man runs it. why is this the right house to ?

>> it's close to the river, some water. >> reporter: in hurricane sandy. >> in hurricane sandy. >> reporter: the state is planning on taking done hundreds of homes, and this is typical of houses ripped down so far. it's in land in a working class neighbourhood and it's 30 miles away from the coastline. that's where the worst damage happened. at the jersey shore. >> it may surprise you under the blue acres programme not a single home along the coast has been removed. in fact, instead of removing homes in high-hazard areas, environmentalists say the state is encouraging people to remain in areas. >> the problem is the state is not always the vulnerable places, where people are at risk in the future. >> tim is a director. american literal society, dedicated to protecting the coastline.

we spoke to him in front of a house slated for demolition, not far from here. we met dilling ham in the town jersey. it's on the beach, and much of it washed away. >> reporter: should this house be rebuilt? >> no, it's a slat to the safety of people rebuilding and a west of taxpayer money. >> reporter: today, with the support of taxpayer money, that house is fully rebuilt on the spot overrun by the sea. to keep people in shore communities the state has looked at several matters totalling $10 million. ambulances to build sea walls, dunes and offshore barriers. only a fraction of that. 300 million is spent on buyouts. >> it's clear the state's policy and direction will keep people in place.

>> what is wrong investing money to rebuild dunes, beaches, sea walls to protect the properties. what is wrong with that? >> one, it puts people at risk. not only the home owners, emergency responders that, in the storms, when the properties are flooded. second, the public could be subsidised putting private property into areas. >> you think it's a subsidy. >> it's absolutely a subsidy. >> we don't ask. why would you want to rebuild that. a year after sandy devastated the shore. we caught up with governor chris christie. he made clear he has no intention of forcing people off the shore. >> i am not in a situation where i condemn property in the state because a group much environmentalists thing that's what they'd like to see. if folks are willing to comply with the law and make structures more resilient and tougher

against the weather, i don't think there's a reason why i should rebuilt. >> what's more, the christy administration has been busy and proposed new rules that make it easier to build in risky areas along the coast. on lots where only one stood. do we have to take every house along the store. >> hurricanes happen again and again. storms are likely to be more frequent. intense. depends how much you think that the public should support people in creating situations where you have to go back in and bail people out. >> reporter: when we met last year, this couple were busy rebuilding. >> i guess we have drank the kool-aid all the years. we love to be on the barrier island. i guess we are on the state, the way it is.

we know there's an argument going the other way. >> reporter: they tell us they didn't know blue acres was an option for them. >> i have heard of it, not as it relates to the barrier island. i heard of it more north of us, homes that have been bordering up rivers and forth. >> reporter: mcgee, the official admits the programme could do a better job reaching out to eligible owners. so far many of its meeting has residents. >> reporter: we are far away from the coastline. why not put emphasis on knocking down houses in those areas? >> we reached out. we probably had 120 meetings up and down the coast. >> 120 meetings. >> yes. coupled with a local government's interest. >> you've had 120 meetings, yet

we spoke to a home owner along the coastline, and they had not heard of this as an option. does that mean that there's a problem with the marketing or the outreach here. >> it could be. >> reporter: mcgee point out participation in blue acres is voluntary, and she says home owners along the shore - some have shown interest. with funding to buy 1300 of 350,000 buildings damaged by sandy. she believes the programme should be bigger. >> the science shows maybe home shouldn't be in certain places. we are doing it one home at a time. do you see a day when the blue acres programme will be more known to people? >> i hope the rain help them to come around. >> reporter: are you saying the politicians and government can't force people to do something,

but nature might? >> indeed. >> meanwhile, those most in harm's way continue to tempt fate. subsidised by the taxpayer. to rebuild or not to rebuild, that's the big question. we are joined by a scientist who studies this skins. i'd like your reaction to our report, are we sub siddizing beach houses for wealthy? >> basically we are. we provide a wide variety of incentives for folks to rebuild and reinstruct investment property. the important thing for folks so understand is what you reported is not unique to hurricane sandy, we saw the same thing after hurricane katrina, and after hurricane floyd in north carolina. it's easy to get working class folks, primary residences, if

they are living in an area with risk, but we had no success getting people off the ocean front. >> do we have any idea hutch money we have spent doing this? >> hundreds of millions. hurricane sandy. was $60,000, a significant chunk was rebuilding the beaches and the tunes -- and doouns. allowing people to exist. >> what should we do about that. >> this is america, we don't send the stormtroopers in and tell people to take their homes off the street. what we can do is link it to financial incentives. we need to create a market economy. the risk of being there is

factored into the price of the home and not subsidised. there's no risk at the moment because we cover the rebuilding, putting the beaches in front of the home. if we can change and reincentivize, the folks will have to do a different calculus. this should be an issue that everyone agrees on, it's fiscally possible. we have a vacuum, and instances, after every storm, we just put things back the way they were. >> like ground hog day. >> it is at the coast, yes. >> rob young, director of the programme for the study of developed shore lines at western caroline university, thank you for joining us.

>> . >> let the system work, you know. i do not support the shootings. i am that kind of chief. >> the l.a.p.d. and the controversial killing. what the autopsy says and doesn't say next. plus, it's the big city of dreams, but for businesses and new yorkers, they are turning into nightmares. the economic boom is taking a huge bite out of the big >> pain killer addiction on the rise >> i loved the feeling of not being in pain >> deadly consequences >> the person i married was gone >> are we prescribing an epidemic? >> the last thing drug companies wanted anybody to think was that, this was a prescribing problem >> fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> today they will be arrested... >> ground breaking... they're firing canisters of gas at us... award winning investigative documentary series...

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now, a shot of other stories making headlines on "america tonight". former president george h.w. bush is resting in his own bed. tuesday he was released from a houston area hospital,

hospitalized for a week after experiencing shortness of breath. more followed for steve skalish, house majority group. following revelations he addressed a white soup remmizist group in 2002. some arrived how much scalise knew about the group's extremist views, it was founded by former k.k.k. leader and louisiana politician david duke it was a deadly year for police officers in the u.s., according to the officers memorial fund. 50 police officers were killed by guns in 2014. this is a 56% increase compared to last year. it's close to the average for the last decade. it's been a tense year for police and communities of colour after deaths. now we are getting some details about a death in los angeles.

the l.a.p.d. released the autopsy report of azil ford. it's a disturbingly familiar story. police stopped a black man without a weapon, he is dead. police officers say he reached for his gun. neighbours say it's not true. oku. >> reporter: protesters hitting the streets of los angeles. angry about the shooting - the 25-year-old black man shot and killed by police in august. it called for a serious investigation. i think that on this case, not releasing the report since august. we are in december now. unnecessary. >> that's an idea in a lot of black people's minds. there was their own community.

>> ford was well-known in the community. he was mentally ill. he had been walking in a tough neighbourhood when two veteran gang officers approached him, tried to speak to him. ford continued walking, and made suspicious movements, including attempting to conceal his hands. they say when the officers reached for him, or tackled one of the officers, pinned him down and tried to grab his gun. the officer's partner and thoughts. striking forward. at about the same type, the or on the ground grabbed his back-up weapon, reached around and fired a shot. striking mr ford in the back. neighbours witnessed the shooting of what happened. >> they wrestled him to the ground, a shot got off. two seconds went by.

i seen the other officer, tole him to shoot him. >> to this date, police say not a single eyewitness cooperated with the authorities. the long-awaited report provides no narrative of what happened. nor does it make a judgment. it says ford was shot three times. in his right arm, his rite side and his back. the gunshot wound on the back contained a muscle imprint, suggesting the round was fired at close range. >> there's nothing in the coroner's report that is inconsistent with the statement given by the officers. >> the officers have a tenth or a hundredth or a thousandth to make a decision. they go by their training. it has to be intuitive. >> this man heads up the police force in overseeing shooting. in a programme likely

implementing police officers with body cameras. >> if the camera was on, this would be - a lot of problems would not happen or escalate. second of all. everybody here would love to know the truth. the truth sets you free. >> it's unclear exactly why the police approached for that night. the l.a.p.d. says the officers were discussing what they called a legitimate investigative stop. stop? >> radio host and political analyst has been an outspoken community. >> are you saying - i mean, is there a suspicion he had broken the liquor store, suspicion that there was a car stolen, a suspicion of drugs on the corner. is there a suspicion that there was a crime? that is typically

why you stop people. >> a smattering of protesters gather to pay tribute. >> the night before he was sat and killed, there was a cop... >> reporter: word in the neighbourhood is the day before ford was shot, he and a friend had a laugh at an officer who clumsily dropped a gun clip. i don't have the words, he threatened to hurt him. the next day a young man struggling with mental illness, two cops came up on him. azil raised his hands, the cops tackled him. people in this community heard the cops shoot him, and they were not three quick shots, they are either two shots and a pause and another shot, or there is a shot and two shots after. there was a pause. >> which suggests...

>> which suggests that the cops, whatever last shot or last two him. >> residents of the south l.a. neighbourhood say the death is like too many involving the police and young black men, too frequent and senseless. and the differing accounts between the l.a.p.d.'s version of events, and so-called eyewitnesss who have not officially stepped forward increased the mistrust that the community feels is simmering below the surface. in august, motels after we arrived in ford's neighbourhoods, l.a.p.d. officers chased down a suspect. at one point he appeared to reach for an officer's gun. neighbours gathered to jeer at

the officers and more. lines were drawn. we don't know why the man was arrested. but it was an expected one. high tension for what seemed like endless minutes. it was eerily easy to imagine how nerves on both sides could cause it to escalate. quickly. meeting. >> have some respect. that was the problem. as l.a.p.d. chief charlie beck faced a gauntlet of black community members, many of whom claim the police target their men. >> i came here tonight because i respect the people in this room, and i hope you respect me. and if we treat each other that way, and treat the investigation that way, and treat where we live

and work that way, then we can move forward from this. >> there has always been, down through the years, not only the suspicious, but the charge that police do two things, they overpolice and overprosecute young african american males. now you have michael brown in ferguson, izelle ford, a few weeks ago eric garner, the chokehold in new york city. things were coming together at the same time. and people are asking - is there a war? is there a war on males especially. and maybe females too. >> as protesters rally for police reform on the eve of a new years, there's anxiety across the country. days ago two police officers say they were shot at while patrolling south l.a. in their vehicle. no one was hurt. one of the suspects was in custody.

in the wake of the ford autopsy alert. >> when you hear about this, it strikes a cord. it finds you. in the field. you put on your uniform target. >> reporter: officials say the investigation into ford's death is expected to last for months. "america tonight"s michael oku joins us. back in august - why has it been so hard to get witnesses to cooperate with police here? >> it's a great question. the point is i don't understand just how deep the distrust of law enforcement in communities like this. there may be eyewitnesss whose accounts corroborate the police officers, what they have to say in this case. they might be afraid of retribution in their own neighbourhoods.

there's a saying na snitches get stitches. and that is a real - particularly if you live in a community like this. on the other hand, you may have witnesses out there who may very well contradict what the police officers have to say but, you know, they don't trust the system, they don't trust the police, and they would fear facing retribution from the very police officers who may, in fact, patrol their own neighbourhoods. none of this is to say that everybody who lives in the communities is at war. it's simply not true. if you spend time in the communities and talk to people, they will open up and let you know that the reservoir of distrust is deep enough to create the killing effect. >> the pictures don't lie. they don't always, with results and investigations, but it was after the shooting the president and the police commission said

that he wished there'd been an in-car camera in the squad car to provide answers. where do they stand with trying to get dashboard cams in the police cars? >> there's only about 300 out of a total 1600, 300 cameras in 300 cars of a total 1600. so you do the maths on that, and that is a poor percentage, especially when you think about the fact that the l.a. pd has been trying to outfit their fleet for more than two decades at this point. the early efforts, when the venned jor they used -- vendor they used went out of business. there was a sweeping set of reforms on the l.a.p.d. rampant scandal and other revelations to do with police corruption in los angeles. they essentially went out and contracted ibm.

there were major glitches. by the time officials got their heads around the trouble. it was mired in a first call crisis. they couldn't get over that particular hunt. >> what we were told is officials were close to meeting their objective. 2016. >> we'll watch to see if that happens. thanks, good to see you the pope delivers a swift kick in the robes, calling catholic leadership selfish. next, one of the most respected cardinals sits with "america tonight" for an indepth chat about the spiritual evolution, and social issues dividing the church. after the new year on the programme, the rocky mountain high. it's been a year since colorado league agized marijuana. next week "america tonight"s

lori jane gliha takes a look at a year on pot. the winners, losers, and the dangers, and the unexpected consequences. >> on techknow >> we should not be having earthquakes in texas >> the true cost of energy hits home... >> my yard is gone... >> are we destroying our way of life? >> contaminated water from the fracking activities come here >> they stick it to the core of the earth >> but this cutting edge technology could be the answer >> the future of fracking is about the water >> protecting the planet saving lives... >> how do you convince a big oil company to use this? techknow only on al jazeera america

it's a stunner. it's not often that a pope gives bureaucratic staff a hard kick in the robes. pope francis did that during a christmas speech. he told high-ranking vatican

leaders they are suffering from 15 illnesses, illnesses that need curing. they include what he called spiritual alzhiemer's. hunger for power, exhibition gossip. >> maybe the world is not ready for all the things he wants to do right away. >> is it a good thing he's shaking up the institution. >> yes. that's what confession is about. >> "america tonight" sits with cardinal theodore - well respected archbishop, in a conversation about challenges facing pope francis. in the christmas message pope francis critical of the upper leadership, saying that they are basically power hungry. is that true? >> you know what, i think you have a large group of people,

angelical. >> worried about their own rise in the church. >> we are living in a world where people say you have to get a promotion, you have to do better. no one wants to be a lieutenant second grade when you can be a lieutenant first grade. >> an embarrassing moment for the church was the bishop of blink living in a lafish lifestyle. pope francis called him out for that. will more bishops and cardinals be called out for living a lavish lifestyle. >> i don't know. i think he made the point that we are supposed to live like everybody else lives. >> there has to be some descension comments. >> i guess there are you have to know the man. he's a straightforward person

calling a spade a spade. sometimes it might be nice to call a spade a shovel to take the strength of it all. will we see push back among other higher ups in the church? >> until they get used to him. >> reporter: the question for the catholic church is how to stay relevant. in today's fast-changing world, when the ancient catholic doctrine holds firm. when you look at polling there's a disconnect between american catholics and the teaching of the catholic church. american catholics tend to be more liberal. in a poll in 2014, 76% of catholics in america said abortions should be permitted in some circumstances. 59% supported women to the priesthood. disconnect? >>

i think you explain it. responsibility. >> they are not a cardinal? >> they are not a cardinal - you have to be a cardinal to be dressed this way, but not to work this way. >> is it fair to keep the women behind the scenes? >> no, and i think the pope is looking at this way. he's name women in two posts, he's beyond that. he has named two women, he never had before. pope francis has not shied away addressing international and political issues. rather he has embraced them. >> what was your reaction when you found out pope francis had a hand in the new cuban

government? >> i was delighted. we have to find a new way to do it. the best way is to make friends. if you hang onto your angers, the one you hurt the most is yourself. >> are you advising cuban americans to let go of some pain future? >> i think we all have to look for a better future, and a world helpful. >> to the extent we are seeing in the middle east innocent people beheaded, children killed in school massacres, the pope called this very alarming, said that we need to do something about this. east? >> i wish i knew, but i - i'm there a lot. i know how scared they are, and i know how worried they are, and how much they suffer. and that moves me and has to

move other people. had has to move the great leaders of the world too. they can't just say "okay, i did this" and goodnight. they have to say i give this, and there's more to do. i have to keep working. >> as we see some evil acts continue to unfold, how do you reconcile that with your faith. happen? >> for the same reason that god allows some people to be strong enough to be saints, and allows some of us to be bad enough to be sinners. we have the choice. that makes us human, different from the dogs and the cats and the elephants and the tigers. we have a choice. we can - we can become saints with god's help and grace. and we can become devils. i think that's what francis is looking at. he is saying "i don't want you to do this for yourself.

i want you to do more for the lord and the poor and other people. that ain't a bad lesson. he wants to see a better world, and he is determined that if he can help in any way to make it a better world, he'll do it. >> thank you so much for taking time to be here. >> thank you great conversation. the saying goes if we can make it in new york, you can make it anywhere. is it still true. >> they chased out - the owner of the hotel wants to convert the space to a white stable cloth restaurant. he doesn't want cafe edison here any more. >> businesses going bust, long-time new yorkers forced out. we tell you what is behind the >> sunday night. >> 140 world leaders will take

the podium. >> get the full story. >> there is real disunity in the security council. >> about issues that impact your world. >> infectious diseases are a major threat to health. >> "the week ahead". sunday 8:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

e an economic boom in new york set off a powerful transformation. while some businesses are flourishing a lot of others are going bust. sky-rocketing grants are forcing restaurants out of business, and some long-time new yorkers are pushed out of their homes. christopher putzel has a look at vanishing new york. >> i'm going to have a chicken noodle soup. >> broadway star martha is fighting a tough battle for a beloved institution. the cafe edison, which for 34 years has been serving up eastern european cuisine to the theatre crowd. >> cafe edison is a critical part of the broadway community's history. it's a meeting place and a gathering spot for everyone from broadway as far as and actors to musicians, to writers.

half our crew is over there having their dinner break. >> reporter: one block from the theatre where she is starring in a show, martha sat with us for one of her favourite meals. >> there's few places in this area that really feel like something that the broadway community uses or shares. there's a lot of chain restaurants and fancy places and places geared towards tourism. thank you. >> you have been having this soup for a long time. >> yes, it's famous. >> the cafe edison's menu of soup and others may be part of broad way history, a casualty of luxury development, sweeping across the city. >> being chased out. the owner of the motel - he wants to convert the space to a white tablecloth with a named chef.

he says he doesn't want cafe edison here. >> reporter: for weeks the broadway community rallied, hosting video and social media recruiting local politicians to the cause, hoping to stop a unique icon from vanishing. >> cafe edison to stay... >> a survey found that 82 new york restaurants closed in 2014, twice as many as the previous year. the culprit sky-high rent increases. another survey looking at the business, found that the city lost 7,000 years of history, in a dozen years. it's a sign of a city transforming at breakneck speed. wiping out local establishments character. >> we should be able to figure out how to preserve the cultural york. >> ron schiffman spent decades

teaching community development brooklyn. >> we learnt how to preserve buildings, and now we need to learn to preserve culture. we have to fine tune the programs and incentives to keep places like edison alive. >> a financial boom is being felt across new york city. not just by restaurants and businesses, but in housing too. a recent survey shows one burrow is the least affordable housing market in the country. >> at this prime corner of brooklyn stands the residents, a building that has been a home for seniors since 1962. for the last decade, a living facility. back in march. it had been sold for 67.5 million. double the price of 2006. more than 120 residents, including some holocaust survivors were told to find

another place to live. the elderly residents some of whom moved in were outraged. they took to the streets in protest. in the end. more than 100 were forced out. 92-year-old ann-marie mogul was one of eight residents refusing to leave. >> i'm not ready to go. to places advertised from the beginning as a place you come to age, and place, and aiming in place means that this is your final residence. >> she loves the view out of her bedroom window. >> in the shoe box is a collection of photographs that i have taken many times from this window. and in all kinds of weather. >> ann-marie moved in a year ago, two months before the building's owner sold it to developers of luxury condos. >> it's a shame a beautiful

building like this, with all it has to offer to people like this has to be so empty. >> in the 1950s, ann-marie rode a motorcycle across the country. now she rolls her walker through empty halls. >> what it feels like to be possibly pushed out of your home. >> devastating feeling. anyone. >> in what was once a recreation room, a bulletin board still recalls a residency that used to live here. >> according to the families, many of those that left saw sharp declines in their health, some died since the residents announced it would be closing. the residents say it was once a great place to live, with hart and community classes, and the community was assured it would age in place. the battle has shifted to the courts. in november ann-marie and her neighbours won an injunction

allowing them to stay in their apartments. at least for now. anywhere. >> no. intimidate. >> no, not at all >> reporter: the property owner did not respond to a request for interview. but referred to a press statement from the announcement in march, saying rising costs and tax obligations made it no longer viable to operate. a problem for residents and the cafe edison is a city pricing out sections of the population. >> we need to develop far more equitable and public policies. we haven't down that. if we look at equity in terms of the way be benefit people, we invest more in the common perp in the street and make sure we don't see the kinds of things at edison or prospect residents taking place. people are pushed out of their maybe our hoods. >> new yorkers come to expect

this kind of thing. we know that change is around the corner. nothing lasts more ever. we know the thing well. there are things about the city that give it character. regular things that people use and need. >> reporter: for the customers and residents here, it comes down to how you define the wealth of the city. by the rents it commands or the rich diversity of the people and mace places. >> and the cafe edison closed its doors on under-31st. the owner hopes to reopen in some other location. >> that's is for us here on "america tonight", remember, if you would like to comment on any of the stories on our show, you can comment on the website. and join the conversation on our twitter or our facebook page. we want to wish everyone a happy

new year, and be sure to join us next year, 2015, we start off with a series looking at rocky mountain high, the pros and cons of legalizing pot in the state of colorado. good morning, we'll have more of "america tonight" next year. >> consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> why did so many of these people choose to risk their lives? >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> people are dying because of this policy... >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but what is the administration doing behind the scenes? >> real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america >> between 1990 and 2003 nasa launched four satellites to photograph our galaxy across the

spectrum of both visible and invisible light. they made up the agency's "great observatory program" and each orbiting telescope saw things a little differently, and now the youngest of the four satellites has just finished its mission. the spitzer space telescope is an infrared camera, it detects objects that our eyes can't see and it has taken 2.5 million photographs over the course of almost 10 years in operation. >> 2.5 million photographs stitched together into one big view, which allows you to zoom in incredibly far to see all the way out past the dust and so forth that blocks our normal vision and look through infrared through all of that dust out at stars that are all the way out at the edge of our known galaxy. >> and being able to see all of it in infrared means we're seeing distant stars, stars at least 100 times larger than our own sun. the ability to navigate among these stars is invaluable to astronomers, but even to a

casual observer it's pretty mind-blowing. as america's growing distance with the military made it easier to go to law. from a forced resignation to white soup remmizy, new headaches, and why young muslims are uniting. welcome to "consider this" those stories and more straight ahead. taliban declares victory a day after u.s. and allied forces ended their combat role.